Support the National Capacity to Address FAW - TCP/MOZ/3701

Support the National Capacity to Address FAW - TCP/MOZ/3701

Editor

FAO ;

Descripción

The majority of people in Mozambique live in rural areas and rely predominantly on agriculture for their livelihoods, with approximately 89 percent of households being involved in the agriculture, livestock, fisheries or forestry sectors. Agriculture and livestock provide the main source of income for roughly 55 percent of households, and the agriculture sector is made up primarily of smallholder subsistence farmers. Extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and cyclones, as well as outbreaks of transboundary pests and diseases, have started to occur much more frequently in Mozambique in recent years. These events and outbreaks have become much more intense, and they pose a significant threat to food security and livelihoods, particularly for those who are already living in poverty and do not have strategies in place to deal with shocks of this nature. An outbreak of Fall Armyworm (FAW) during the 2016 – 2017 agricultural season plagued many countries in Southern Africa, including Mozambique. The FAW preferentially feeds on maize, which is the main staple crop in the country; therefore, it is a serious threat to food security and nutrition there.